Minutes from July 2018 meeting

Newton St Cyres Parish Council

Minutes of Newton St Cyres Parish Council Meeting held in the

Parish Hall Club Room on Thursday 5 July 2018 

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm 

Members present

Cllr J Enright (chair)                      Cllr A Reeves

Cllr G Barnell                                 Cllr P Taylor

Cllr S Parker                                  Cllr C Southcott

Cllr G Quicke                                                     

In attendance:  Cllr P Hare-Scott, MDDC, 3 members of public, J Hole, Parish Clerk 

Business to be Transacted

 Public Participation

• Police Report

        There was no report

• Public Question Time

Concern was expressed by a Half Moon resident that there was still no solution to the parking issues at Half Moon.  If a footpath was dependant on the Hanlons planning application, it would be a while before any footpath was constructed and, in the meantime, residents were still faced with a difficult and dangerous walk from the layby.

Formal Business

01/07/18     Apologies  

Cllrs D and J Baker (holiday), Cllr M Squires, DCC (another meeting) 

02/07/18     Declaration of Interest

Item 4.2 – Cllr A Reeves (DPI) 

03/07/18     Minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 7 June 2018 

Agreed and signed as a true record 

04/07/18     Mid Devon District Council

4.1              Planning Applications:    

18/001813/HOUSE - Creation of a new vehicular access Location: 2 Brook View, West Town Road, Newton St Cyres – no comment

18/00768/FULL - Change of use of restaurant/cafe (Class A3) to children’s nursery (Class D1) at Home Farm, Newton St Cyres.  Cllr A Reeves left the room.  Cllrs agreed there was no comment and Cllr A Reeves returned to the room

4.2              Planning Decisions:

18/00702/HOUSE - Erection of two-storey and single-storey extensions at 2 Meadowlands – grant permission

4.3              To note that Town and Parish Fund (TAP) is now Communities Together Fund. 

Applications must involve two or more communities working together and benefit two or more communities

Noted

4.4              Report from Cllr P Hare- Scott

Cllr P Hare-Scot reported that MDDC finished last year with a small surplus.  The audit had been completed and MDDC would be one of the first local authorities to publish their accounts.  The first public meetings for the local plan would take place soon.  The Clerk had e-mailed Cllr P Hare-Scott to ask why the £100.00 grant for village green maintenance had not been received this year.  Cllr P Hare-Scott asked the Clerk to send a copy of the previous Remittance advice to allow further investigation.

05/07/18     Finance

5.1              To approve signatures for this month’s cheques

 Cllr A Reeves and Cllr C Southcott

5.2              Parish Council Receipts Current Account:  None

5.3              Parish Council Payment Current Account

These were agreed as:

Item	Payee	Purpose	Amount £
5.3.1	C Lee	Grass Cutting at Churchyard	30.00
5.3.2	Simon Saunders	Grass Cutting	160.00
5.3.2	J Hole	Salary and expenses	327.02
			£517.02

Since the agenda had been sent an invoice from the Parish Hall for £40.00 for room rent had been received.  As the next scheduled meeting was not until September, Cllrs resolved that the invoice be paid today.

5.4             Balances (after above transactions):       

5.4.1          Parish Council Current Account balance: £13,352.70

5.4.2          Footpath Account: £407.29

5.4.3          Car Park resurfacing fund balance: £3,000.38

5.5              Financial Statement and Budget Monitor

Noted

5.6              Quarterly bank reconciliation

This was duly signed for the current account

5.7              Update on possible provision of a salt bin at Creedy View/New Estate. 

Cllr A Reeves had found a spare salt bin and would agree a location with Cllr C Southcott

5.9              To consider quote for strimming existing school path £40.00 to include overhanging branches

It was resolved to accept this quote.  Clerk to arrange. 

06/07/18     Matters raised by the Chair

6.1              Grass cutting in existing churchyard – to consider if the PC should take responsibility for arranging contractors to cut.  To agree the procedure for future church grants.

The Clerk reported that the church wished to continue to arrange the grass cutting as they liked to meet with the contractor ahead of each cut to instruct on which areas to cut etc.  It was noted that currently the Parish Council pays for the churchyard grass cutting under maintenance rather than a grant.  However, it was resolved to revert back to awarding a grant upon receipt of a grant request from the church.  This would ensure that all village organisations were required to apply for grants.  Clerk to inform Church.  If a grant request was approved for the church, the Parish Council would continue to pay the contractor direct. Cllrs reserved the right to place conditions on the grant i.e. the grass should be cut on a regular basis.

6.2              Update on proposed new school path.  To note the grant application to DCC has been unsuccessful but the details have been forwarded to PROW for possible assistance. PROW have suggested applying for a “National Lottery Awards for all” grant.  To agree actions

A discussion took place on whether the Parish Council could fund the full cost (approx. £12,000) of the proposed path if no other funding was available and it was felt probably not.  It was noted that the proposed path was on the safest part of the road and only went as far as the road bridge.   It was agreed that the Clerk should apply to the Communities Together Fund in the first instance and depending on the success of this application, consider applying to the National Lottery.  It was noted that no further progress had been made with the legal agreements.

6.3              To note advice from MDDC re use of personal e-mail accounts (MDDC slides circulated separately - slide 9 refers).   To consider setting up Parish Council e-mail addresses as proposed in paper circulated by Cllr J Enright. 

MDDC advice was that Councillors should not use their personal e-mail addresses for Parish Council business.  It was resolved that individual e-mails addresses with the domain name .gov.uk would be set up at an approx. cost of £200.00 using the computer equipment budget.  It would be possible to add and delete names as required.  Cllr J Enright would progress this item. 

07/07/18     Councillor’s Reports    

7.1              Areas of Responsibility report

Footpaths – Cllr S Parker reported that many footpaths were overgrown.  Clerk to contact DCC Footpath Warden again to request update on FP4 strimming which had been started but not completed.

Speedwatch – Cllr S Parker reported that 5, possible 6 volunteers had come forward and he would arrange a meeting with Lisa Cocker, PCSO to start the process of getting volunteers police approved.

Boniface Trail – Cllrs S Parker and P Taylor gave a report on a positive meeting held with Officers from DCC and MDDC.  Future S106 monies may be available to the group and funding may be available for a feasibility study.  A full planning application would be required together with various expert reports.  The group hoped to submit the full planning application later this year.  The legal agreements for Phase 1 were very near completion.  It was hoped that the path could be started by September 2020, depending on funding.  Highways had indicated that they would adopt the path where it ran alongside the road as long as construction met the required standard.

Allotments – Cllr G Barnell had met with a contractor and was waiting for a quote to clear the unused plots.  There were a few allotments which were not being used/maintained and Cllr G Barnell proposed, and it was agreed, that he write to the tenants to ask their intentions and whether they required help to maintain their plots (tenants to pay any costs).  Cllr A Reeves would arrange for the annual topping to take place. 

Litter – litter at the Half Moon layby continued to be an issue, with the litter bins often full.  Cllr G Barnell had spoken to Hanlons who reported they picked up litter on a regular basis.  He would also speak to the café and ask if they could help with litter collection and perhaps provide more litter bins for café rubbish.  A regular monthly litter pick was suggested with volunteers and businesses.

Surgery – the next surgery was at Revels on Sunday 8 July and Cllrs J Enright and C Southcott would attend.  Cllr P Taylor would attend the August surgery and Cllr A Reeves the September one. 

08/07/18     Clerk’s Report  

Welcome leaflet – the current version is out of date and we need to agree how to ensure it is kept up to date without too much expense.  To consider if the Clerk could maintain the leaflet and print as and when required.

It was resolved that the Clerk should maintain the leaflet and once updated, give a small supply to each councillor.

The Clerk noted she would be on holiday from 4 to 12 August.

It was resolved that if invoices were received over the summer which required payment, the Clerk would inform Councillors by e-mail and arrange for two Councillors to sign cheques which would then be formally ratified at the September meeting. 

09/07/18     Parish Council

9.1              Update on GDPR

There were no further actions to report, although the Clerk thought a records retention policy was required and would look at this over the summer.

9.2              Arboretum – to note insurance requirement that the Parish Council must implement the risk assessments, set the maintenance schedules and that volunteers must be under the direct control/responsibility of the Parish Council in order that the arboretum is covered under the Council’s Public Liabilities cover.   To agree any actions required

It was resolved that a risk assessment for the arboretum was required and Cllr A Reeves would oversee its production.  It was noted this was different from the annual safety inspection.  It was agreed that the Clerk should forward a copy of the council’s insurance documentation to the arboretum committee.  The arboretums mower had been added to the insurance at no cost for the remainder of this year with a £7.48 cost for next year.

9.3              To consider asking Thorverton handyman to tidy round the Half Moon bus stop if DCC are unable to do the work 

This area had been tidied up already so no further action was required.

9.4              To update Parish Council Action Plan

A copy of the updated action plan had been circulated.  Cllr G Barnell proposed that the plan should include more detail on specific actions for the A377 and offered to produce a draft for consideration at the next meeting.

9.5              Grass at Higher Marsh – requested at last meeting to go on agenda but the grass is no longer causing a visibility problem

9.6              To note proposed gas renovation works

Details of the proposal to put new plastic pipes inside existing iron pipes for a large proportion of the parish including the A377 had been circulated.  As soon as dates were available these would be published as widely as possible including on Facebook.

9.7              To note report from Community Resilience Forum meeting 14 June 2018

A report from the Forum meeting had been circulated.  Cllr J Enright suspended standing orders to ask the parishioner who had attended for further comment.  He noted the importance of keeping resilience plans up to date as these were now being used by emergency services to make their emergency response plans.  A pandemic of flu had been identified as a key hazard.  The parishioner agreed to update the resilience plan as required and a review meeting would be held later in the year.  Standing orders were re-instated.  The Chairman thanked the parishioner for attending the Forum and for the report. 

10/07/18     Devon County Council

10.1            Outstanding Highways issues

• Drainage in Sand Down Lane – waiting for heavy rain to test drain. Until tested under heavy rain conditions, it was resolved to keep the DCC CEF grant, in case the current fix does not work.
• Concrete blocks by Langford Road – Cllr M Squires to discuss with Highways - No update
• Retaining wall at Shuttern Brook – Cllr M Squires to follow up - No update
• Advertising signs on A377 – Cllr M Squires to follow up- No update
• Curb at new school – Cllr M Squires to follow up and Kingswood Homes contacted
• The Clerk had contacted Kingswood Homes who had replied that there was no requirement in their legal agreements to provide a dropped curb.  Cllr M Squires was following this up with Highways
• Overgrown hedges, A377 Crown & Sceptre – reported to owner - No update
• Resurfacing of School Hill was also outstanding

10.2            New DCC issues

Missing bus pole A377 Crediton to Exeter at Home Farm – reported to DCC

The flashing sign at Smallbrook was obstructed – Clerk to report

10.3            Report from Cllr M Squires

A report from Cllr M Squires had been circulated 

11/07/18     Miscellaneous Correspondence - A list will be available at the meeting

MDDC Licensing Act 203 – Consultation on licensing Policy

MDDC Parish Communication Survey - circulated

Proposal for Devon/Cornwall Police to merge with Dorset police survey - circulated                         

12/07/18     Minor Matters and Items for Future Agenda

  None 

13/07/18     Date of next meeting: If required for planning Thursday 2 August 2018 in the Clubroom, Parish Hall, 7.30pm – otherwise Thursday 6 September 2018 in the Clubroom, Parish Hall, 7.30pm 

End of Formal Business

Public Participation 

There was none

The meeting closed at 9.20pm